Thumbs up to all-day pubs, but not Lynx effect

Stephan co-founded YouGov in 2000. He has previously worked as a political campaign manager and is now chair of the Data Strategy Board for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Follow Stephan

Stephan Shakespeare

During the last month, here at YouGov, we have invited our panellists to give their opinions on anything they like, using our new “tygga” service. The aim is to let panellists use their own words when describing any brand or topic, rather than just asking them to self-prescribe as “satisfied” or “dissatisfied” customers of the brands that researchers choose.

Take health and beauty brands, for example. The graph indicates the number of positive and negative sentiments that “tygga” has received, unprompted, from members of the YouGov panel on Dove, <a href="http://www.lynxeffect.com&quot; target="_blank">Lynx</a>, and The Body Shop. The words customers used are even more revealing about the differences between brands.

Dove is especially well-liked for its smell, which is described as “fresh”, and its new men’s range is deemed “good value”. The Body Shop is well-regarded for its “great service” and “helpful staff”, although many were dubious about its “ethical” credentials after “selling out” to L’Oreal. Lynx fared the least well, as a number of panellists disliked its “cheap” and “tacky” smell. One panellist declared their hatred for “the overpowering waft of it when teenage boys walk past”, which emerged as a common theme. Another panellist, perhaps ruefully, expressed disappointment that Lynx “doesn’t do to women what the adverts claim”.

JD Wetherspoon’s BrandIndex “Impression” scores have soared this month following a 17.5 per cent rise in pre-tax profits for the first half of the year, and the announcement that it is to start opening virtually all its 750 outlets at 7am.

On 12 March, the day the pub chain announced its new opening time and its pre-tax profits, the JD Wetherspoon “Impression” score rose from +13 to a high of +20 on the 26th March. The move is seen as an attempt to move further into the lucrative breakfast market currently dominated by the likes of Starbucks and McDonalds.